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708 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS, 

A. C. TRUE, Director. 



Xo/ 



ORGANIZATION AND WORK 



OF 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS 
IN THE UNITED STATES. 



BY 



DICK J. CROSBY, 

0/ i]ie Office of Experiment Stations. 




WASHINGTON- 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 

1904. 



^x^ 

^l^ 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

Scientific Bureaus and Divisions. 

Weather Bureau — Willis L. Moore, Chief. 
Bureau of Animal Industry — D. E. Salmon, Chief. 
Bureau of Plant Industry — B. T. Galloway, C]def. 
Bureau of Forestry — Gifford Pinchot, Forester. 
Bureau of Soils — M. Whitiaey, Chief. 
Bureau of Chemistry' — H. W. Wiley, Chemist. 
Bureau of Statistics — John Hvde, Stafisficiaii. 
Division of Entomology — L. O. Howard, Entomologist. 
Division op Biological Survey* — C. Hart Merriam, Chief. 
Office of Public Eoad Inquiries — Martin Dodge, Director. 
Office op Experiment Stations — A. C. True, Director. 



OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 

STAFF. 
A. C. True, Ph. D., Director. 

E. W. Allen, Ph. D., Assistant Director and Editor of Experiment Station Eecord. 
W. H. Beal, B. a., M. E., Chief of Editorial Division. 
W. H. Evans, Ph. D., Chief of Division of Insular Stations, 
John Hamilton, Farmers' Institute Specialist. 
Mrs. C. E. Johnston, Chief Clerk. 
Sarah L. Sommers, Eecord Clerk. 

editorial departments. 

E. W. Allen and H. W. La.wson, B. S., Chemistry, dairy farming, and dairying. 

W. H. Beal, Agricultural physics. 

W. H. Evans, Botany. 

C. F. Langworthy, Ph. D., Food and nutrition. 

J. I. Schulte, B. S., Field crops. 

E. V. Wilcox, Ph. D., Entomology and veterinary science. 

C. B. Smith, INL S., Horticulture. 

D. J. Crosby, M. S., Agricultural institutions. 
AViLLiAM Henry, Indexing and proof reading. 
G. A. Harlow, Librarian. 

.\LASKA experiment STATIONS. 

C. C. Georgeson, M. S., Special agent in charge, Sitka. 

HAWAII experiment STATION. 

Jared G. Smith, Special agent in charge, Honolulu. 

PORTO RICO experiment STATION. 

D. W. May', Special agent in charge, Mayaguez. 

nutrition INVESTIGATIONS. 

W. O. Atwater, Ph. D., 'Chief of nutrition investigations, Middletown, Conn. 

irrigation INVESTIGATIONS. 

Elwood Mead, M. S., C. E., Chief of irrigation investigations. 



OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES 
AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 

President, 
AV. O. Thompson, of Ohio. 

Vice-Presidents, 

D. F. Houston, of Texas. J. H. AVorst, of North Dakota. 

J. C. Hardy, of Mississippi. H. J. Wheeler, of Rhode Island. 

B. C. BuFFUM, of Wyoming. 

/Seer eta ry- Treasurer, 
E. B. YooRHEEs, of New Jersey. 

Bibliographer, 
A. C. True, of Washington, D. C. 

Executive Committee, 

H. C. White, of Georgia, Chairman. J. L. Snyder, of Michigan. 

G. W. Atherton, of Pennsylvania. W. H. Jordan, of New York. 

C. F. Curtiss, of Iowa. 
Kv officio The President; the Junior ex-President (J. K. Patterson ) ; the Secretary. 

Chairmen of Sections, 

Section on College Work and Administration, W. E. Stjone, of Indiana. 
Section on Experiment Station Work, E. H. Jenkins, of Connecticut. 

Chairmen of Standing Committees, 

Indexing Agricultural Literature, A. C. True, of Washington, D. C. 

Methods of Teaching Agricultui-e, A. C. True, of \Vashington, D. C. 

Graduate Study, C. W. Dabney, of Tennessee. 

Uniform Fertilizer Laws, H. J. Wheeler, of Rhode Island. 

Military Instruction in Land-Grant Colleges, G. W. Atherton, of Pennsylvania. 

Cooperation Between Stations and U. S. Department of Agriculture, E. A. Bryan, of 

Washington. 
Pure-Food Legislation, W. A. AVithers, of North Carolina. 
Animal and Plant Breeding, W. ]\I. Hays, of Minnesota. 
Cooperative Exhibit at St. Louis Exposition, AV. H. Jordan, of New York. 
Agricultural Engineering in Land-Grant Colleges, AV. E. Stone, of Indiana. 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



IT. S. Departmext of Agriculture, 

Office of Experiment Stations, 

^Vashhgton, D. (?., May ^7, 1901^. 
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith and recommend for 
publication a brief general account of the organization and work of 
the agricultural experiment stations in the United States, including 
also brief statements regarding the income, equipment, and result 
of the work of these stations. This article has been prepared by 
Dick J. Crosby for distribution at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition 
in St. Louis. 

Kespectfull}^, 

A. C. True, 

Director. 
Hon. James Wilson, 

• Secretary of Agriculture. 



CONTENTS. 



Pagb. 

Organization of the stations 7 

Officers and employees 9 

Income in 1903 9 

Equipment 10 

Lines of work of the stations 11 

Investigations involving original features 11 

Verification and demonstration experiments 18 

Studies of natural agricultural conditions and resources . 19 

Inspection and control work 20 

Dissemination of information 20 

General results of the work of the stations 22 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 
Plate 1. Fig. 1. — Nebraska Station, experimental plats. Fig. 2. — Kentucky 

Station, main building 10 

II. Fig. 1. — Ohio Station, insectary. Fig. 2. — Utah Station, cattle and 

sheep barns 10 

III. Fig. 1. — Maine Station, poultry houses and runs. Fig. 2. — Mis- 

souri College and Station, laboratory for animal 
breeding 10 

IV. Fig. 1. — Vermont Station, sprayed and unsprayed potatoes. Fig. 

2. — Tennessee Station, cowpeas and sorghum for silage. . 12 
V. Fig. 1. — Tennessee Station, lettuce under glass. Fig. 2. — West 
Virginia Station, apparatus used in experiments in pre- 
serving milk under pressure 14 



ORGANIZATION AND WORK OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT 
STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. « 



By Dick J. Crosby, 

Of the Office of Experiment Stations. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE STATIONS. 

The agricultural experiment stations in the United States are State 
institutions supported in part b^" funds given by the National Govern- 
ment to the States to be used for their maintenance. The direct man- 
agement of the stations is whoU}^ in the hands of State officers, but 
the}^ sustain certain definite relations to the Federal Government, and 
the Congressional appropriations for their support are included in the 
annual appropriation acts for the United States Department of Agri- 
culture. The money thus appropriated is paid to the stations quar- 
terly in advance by the United States Treasur3^ Regulations governing 
the use of the franking privilege by the stations are made b}^ the 
Post-Ofiice Department. As departments of the colleges receiving 
the benefits of the land-grant act of 1862, reports of the stations are 
annuall}" sent to the Secretar}^ of the Interior, who is represented in 
his relations with these institutions hj the Bureau of Education. 

The stations have much more intimate relations with the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture than with any other branch of the Federal Gov- 
ernment. The act of Congress (Hatch Act) of March 2, 188Y, under 
which the stations have been organized, provides "that in order to 
secure, as far as practicable, uniformity of methods and results in the 
work of said stations it shall be the duty of the United States Com- 
missioner (now Secretarv) of Agriculture to furnish forms, as far as 
practicable, for the tabulation of results of investigations or experi- 
ments; to indicate from time to time such lines of inquiry as to him 
shall seem most important, and in general to furnish such advice and 
assistance as will best promote the purposes of this act." In accord- 
ance with this provision, the Office of Experiment Stations was estab- 
lished in 1888 to represent the Secretary of Agriculture in his relations 
with the stations. 

"Adapted and brought up to date from Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 80. 
pp. 45-78. 

7 



Beginning- with the year 1894, Congress has each year inserted in 
the appropriation act for the maintenance of the stations a provision 
that "the Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe the form of the 
annual financial statement [required by the Hatch Act], shall ascertain 
whether the expenditures under the appropriation hereby made are in 
accordance with the provisions of said act, and shall report thereon to 
Congress.'' Thus, virtually, the Secretary of Agricultvire now has 
general supervision of the expenditures of the stations under the Hatch 
Act. In this, as in other matters relating to the stations, he has been 
represented by the Oflice of Experiment Stations. 

The United States Department of Agriculture, from the ver^- begin- 
ning of its existence, has been engaged in the investigation of agricul- 
tural problems, and at the present time it emploj^s several hundred 
scientists, field agents, and specialists who devote their time almost 
exclusively to the investigation of problems in meteorology, animal 
industry, plant industry, forestr}^, chemistry, entomology, and biology. 
The Department is thus primarily a great research institution, or 
experiment station, dealing with nearl}" all branches of science. It 
also receives from Congress funds for special investigations, with the 
provision that it shall as far as practicable cooperate with the experi- 
ment stations in carrying on these investigations. Notable instances 
of such appropriations are those for nutrition and irrigation investiga- 
tions, which have been in charge of the Office of Experiment Stations; 
the inquiries conducted by the Office of Public Road Inquiries, and 
pomological, botanical, and grass and forage investigations in charge 
of the Bureau of Plant Industry. There is also a large amount of 
cooperation between this Department and the stations in other wa}^, 
including all the general lines of work in which the scientific divisions 
of the Department ai'e engaged. The Department has also afforded 
to station officers the privileges of its laboratories, collections, and 
librar}^ to an increasing extent from year to year. 

Agricultural experiment stations are now in operation under the 
Hatch Act in all the States and Territories and under special appro- 
priation acts in Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico. The stations organ- 
ized under the Hatch Act are b}' law departments of the colleges 
receiving the benefit of the land-grant act of Jul} 2, 1862, and supple- 
mentary acts relating to similar colleges established in the States 
which have been admitted to the Union since the passage of that act, 
as well as to those in the Territories. The Hatch Act, however, made 
an exception in favor of State agricultural experiment stations which 
had been established separate from the land-grant colleges prior to 
the passage of this act. In this wa}^ State stations are maintained in 
Connecticut, Louisiana, New York, and Ohio which are not connected 
with colleges and j^et receive, in whole or in part, the benefits of the 
Hatch Act. In New Jerse}" there is a station which is supported by 



9 

State funds, as distinct from the station which receives the Hatch 
funds, but both stations are located at the land-g-rant college, and have 
the same director. There are also stations maintained wholly bv State 
and local funds in Alabama, Hawaii, and Missouri, and in a number 
of States substations are maintained. Excluding- the substations, the 
total number of stations in the United States is 60, of which 55 receive 
appropriations provided for b}' acts of Congress. 

OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES. 

The stations which are departments of the colleges are, as a rule, 
under the general management of the governing boards of these 
institutions. The separate State stations have their own governing 
boards. The station stafi" usually consists of a director and several 
scientitic experts in charge of special lines of work. In a few 
instances the president of the college is also director of the station 
connected with it, but in a far greater number of instances the 
director is a separate officer responsible to the president. There are 
757 station officers in the work of administration and inquirv. The 
number of officers engaged in the different lines of work is as follows: 
Directors, 54; assistant and vice directors, 19; special agents in charge, 
3; chemists, 160; agriculturists, 54; agronomists, 27; animal hus- 
bandmen, 39; poultry men, T; horticulturists, 79; farm and garden 
foremen, 39; dairj^men, 34; botanists, 56; plant pathologists, 4; 
entomologists, 50; zoologists, 6; veterinarians, 31; meteorologists, 
10; biologists, 6; plwsicists, 6; geologists, 4; mj^cologists and bacte- 
riologists, 23; irrigation engineers, 11; in charge of substations, 16; 
secretaries and treasurers, 27; librarians, 12; clerks and stenographers, 
34. There are also 50 persons classified under the head of "Miscella- 
neous," including superintendents of grounds and buildings, apiarists, 
herdsmen, and other emploj^ees. 

INCOME IN 1903. 

The total income of the stations during 1903 was $1,427,237.73, of 
which $720,000 was received from the National Government and the 
remainder, $707,237.73, from State governments, individuals and com- 
munities, fees for analyses of fertilizers, sales of farm products, and 
miscellaneous sources. In addition to this the Office of Experiment 
Stations had an appropriation of $161,000 for the past fiscal year, 
including $15,000 for the Alaska Experiment Stations, $12,000 for the 
Hawaii Experiment Station, $12,000 for the Porto Rico Experiment 
Station, $20,000 for nutrition investigations, and $65,000 for irrigation 
investigations. The 'total value of additions to the equipment of the 
stations in 1903 is estimated to be $236,370.61. 



10 

EaXJIPMENT. 

The stations connected with land-grant colleges have, to a large extent, 
been provided with land and buildings for experimental purposes by 
the colleges. Sometimes the land thus furnished has been definitely 
turned over to the stations for their exclusive use and sometimes it 
has remained under the control of the colleges, the stations making- 
use of such areas as are needed for experimental purposes. (PI. I, 

Most of the buildings used b}^ the stations have been supplied by the 
colleges or by the States through special appropriations for their con- 
struction, and many of these are occupied jointh" b}^ the college and 
station. These buildings are in many cases substantial structures of 
brick or stone and are provided with steam heating apparMus, gas or 
electric lights, and often with steam or electric power for running 
light machinery. There are usually at each station an administration 
building (PI. I, fig. 2) and cheniical, botanical, bacteriological, and other 
laboratories, museums, and libraries. Vegetation houses are quite 
common, and insectaries have been erected at a few of the stations. 
(PI. II, fig. 1.) The stations generall}^ have one or more barns (PI. II, 
fig. 2), and some of them have very complete equipment for experi- 
mental work in dairjang. Silos of different forms are quite generally 
a part of the equipment of the stations, and piggeries and poultr}'^ 
houses are not uncommon. (PI. Ill, fig. 1.) Special laboratories for 
experiments in particular lines, such as breeding of animals (PI. Ill, 
fig. 2), diseases of animals, sugar making, tobacco curing, etc., have 
been built at some of the stations. 

The stations are, as a rule, well equipped with scientific apparatus, 
some of which has been devised b}^ station workers. In man}^ instances 
a large amount of apparatus belonging to the different divisions of the 
colleges is available for the use of the station officers. The stations 
have made or purchased quite large collections of specimens for use in 
their work, especially in the departments of entomology, botany, 
vegetable pathology, and horticulture. The}^ also have at their com- 
mand the general collections of the land-grant colleges, which in some 
cases are among the most extensive in this countr3^ Many of the 
stations maintain separate libraries, which usually consist of a limited 
working collection of reference books, scientific and agricultural jour- 
nals, the publications, of American and foreign experiment stations 
and departments of agriculture, reports of scientific associations, and 
miscellaneous Government and other documents on scientific and other 
subjects. In a number of cases books for general station workers are 
merged with the college library, the privileges of which, however, the 
station officers full}' enjo}'. To a limited extent also station workers 
are able to avail themselves of the large agricultural library of the 
Department of Agriculture at Washington through loans for special 



U. S. Dept. of Agr , Office of Expt. Stations, 708. 



Plate 




Fig. 1.— Nebraska Station— Experimental Plats. 




Fig. 2.— Kentucky Station— Main Building. 



U. S. Dept. of Agr., Office of Expt. Stations,. 708. 



Plate II. 




Fig. 1.— Ohio Station— Insectary. 




Fig. 2.— Utah Station— Cattle and Sheep Barns. 



U. S. Dept, of Agr., Office of Expt. Stations, 708. 



Plate III. 




Fig. 1.— Maine Station— Poultry Houses and Runs. 




FiQ. 2.— Missouri College and Station— Laboratory for Animal Breeding. 



11 

purpo^^es under certain restrictions. The libraries are generall}^ pro- 
vided with card catalogues, and with the card index of experiment- 
station literature issued by the Office of Experiment Stations. 

The business offices of the stations are provided with typewriters, 
duplicating machines, and other improved appliances, and filing and 
mailing devices. The live stock kept by the stations varies greatly 
with the needs of the different stations, some of which maintain con- 
siderable herds, while otheis procure only a few animals as they are 
needed for experimental purposes. It includes herds and flocks of 
dairy cattle, sheep, swine, horses, mules, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, 
ducks, geese, and other poultry. Most of the stations are well pro- 
vided with farm machinery and implements of the latest types. 

LINES OF WORK OF THE STATIONS. 

Broadly speaking, the work of the experiment stations in the United 
States corresponds in scope and extent with the complexity of their 
organization. In a general way this work may be classified under the 
following heads: (1) Investigations involving original features; (2) 
verification and demonstration experiments; (3) studies of natural 
agricultural conditions and resources; (4) inspection and control work, 
and (5) dissemination of information. 

It will, however, readily be understood that most of the enterprises 
of the stations are of a mixed character. Originality will, as a rule, 
be found only in some particular features of an investigation or in the 
adaptation of well-known facts or principles of special conditions. In 
the following outline the investigations of the stations which on the 
whole have most generally contained original features are grouped 
together, though in many cases they might with equal propriety be 
classed as demonstration experiments. 

INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING ORIGINAL, FEATURES. 

These investigations may be classified in a general way on the basis 
of the different divisions found in the organization of the stations, 
and comprise studies in physics, chemistry, botany, zoology (espe- 
cially entomology), geology, meteorology, plant production (agronomy, 
including horticulture and forestry), physiology (of man and domestic 
animals), zootechny (animal industry), veterinary science, agrotechny 
(agricultural technology), including especially dairying, and rural 
engineering. 

In most of these lines the investigations have included studies with 
reference to the improvement of methods of research, devising of new 
apparatus and appliances, the relation of scientific principles to the 
science and practice of agriculture, the working out of new practical 
applications on the basis of well-known facts and principles, or the 



12 

solution of special problems. The following statements ma}^ serve to 
indicate in what directions the investigations have chieflj^ been 
pursued. 

Under the head of phj^sics considerable attention has been given in 
recent 3"ears to studies on soils, especialh' as regards the methods for 
the phj'sical examination of soils, the movement of soil water, and the 
apparatus required for such investigations. 

In chemistr}", the improvement of methods of analyzing soils, fer- 
tilizers, plants, foods, feeding stuffs, and other materials has occu- 
pied the attention of a considerable number of stations. This work 
has been done quite largely in connection with the Association of Offi- 
cial Agricultural Chemists. The stations have also cooperated with 
this association in determining food standards as a basis for the deter- 
mination of adulteration. A number of pieces of special chemical 
apparatus have been devised. A verj^ large number of analj'ses of 
economic plants, foods and feeding stuff's, dairj" products, fertilizers, 
and other agricultural materials, especially those distinctiveh' Ameri- 
can, have been made for the first time in the chemical laboratories of 
the stations. A considerable number of pureh" chemical investigations 
have been conducted, such as the isolation of different proteids and 
their examination as to properties and elementary composition; stud- 
ies of the development of the constituents of crops during growth and 
storage; investigation of the constituents of the nitrogen-free extract 
of feeding stuff's; a stud}" of the status of phosphorus in vegetable and 
animal feeding stuffs; an investigation of the chemical changes taking 
place in cheese during the process of ripening; studies of the compo- 
sition of crops as influenced by environment; and systematic chemical 
studies of a considerable number of staple crops, such as alfalfa, corn, 
cotton, tobacco, and wheat. Chemistry has, however, usually been an 
adjunct to investigations along various lines of plant and animal pro- 
duction. For instance, the composition of corn has been thoroughly 
investigated, the object being to increase the protein and oil content 
by selection and crossing. 

In botan}" considerable sj^stematic work has been done, especiall}' in 
the newer States. New species of useful and injurious plants have 
been discovered and described; herbaria of the economic flora of indi- 
vidual States have been collected, and new light has been thrown on 
the botanical relations of species of economic plants. The botanical 
work of our stations has, however, been most largely along the lines 
of vegetable physiology and pathology and bacteriology. The studies 
in vegetable physiology have included investigations of special prob- 
lems and the devising of methods and apparatus for such studies. In 
vegetable pathology much has been done in working out the life his- 
tories of fungi injurious to cultivated plants and in devising methods 
and apparatus for the repression of diseases of plants. The bacterio- 



IJ. S. Dept of Agr., Office of Expt. Stations, 708. 



Plate IV. 




Fig. 1.— Vermont Station— Sprayed and Unsprayed Potatoes. 




Fig. 2.— Tennessee Station— Cowpeas and sorghum for Silage. 



13 

logical work of the stations has included the isolation, culture, and 
description of many species of useful and pathogenic bacteria in air, 
soil, fertilizers, plants, food, feeding' stuffs, and other agricultural 
products, and those affecting useful and injurious animals. Methods 
and apparatus for bacteriological investigations have been devised, and 
means for the repression of pathogenic bacteria have been worked out. 
Among the diseases of plants which have received most attention at 
our stations are those affecting potatoes (PI. IV, tig. 1), cotton, cereals 
(especially smuts), sweet potatoes, beans, celery, grapes, and pears 
(especially blight). 

Among investigations in vegetable physiology which have been 
undertaken by the stations, mention may be made of those on the cause 
and prevention of sun scald of fruit trees, the effect of arc and incan- 
descent electric lights on plant growth, and the influence of various 
forms of electricity on §eed germination, and the influence of various 
enz3'ms upon the germination of old seeds of various kinds. Investi- 
gations have also been conducted upon the effect of alkali upon ger- 
mination. Again, extensive series of investigations have been made 
on the flow of maple sap. The distribution of the roots of different 
plants in the soil has been studied at several stations. Weed distribu- 
tion, jjropagation, seedlings, seeds, etc., have been studied by numerous 
station botanists. 

In zoology by far the most important work of the stations has been 
along the lines of economic entomology. This has included the col- 
lection of large numbers of specimens of insects; the description of 
new species, and the working out of their life histories; studies in the 
breeding of insects, especially as a means for their investigation: the 
discovery of methods and appliances for the repression of injurious 
insects, and for the study of insects. Among the insects on which the 
station entomologists have made extensive studies, resulting in the 
development of effective methods for their repression, are the follow- 
ing: The codling moth, plum curculio, San Jose scale and other scale 
insects, chinch bug. Rocky Mountain locust, woolly aphis, cotton 
worm, boll weevil, forest insects, and insects affecting stored grains. 
In other lines of zoological investigation sj^stematic and other studies 
have been made of injurious mammals (especially gophers, prairie 
dogs, rabbits, and woodchucks) and birds. There have also been 
special investigations relating to oysters and nematodes. 

Under the head of agronomj^ a large amount of work has been done 
in the introduction of new varieties of crops and in the improvement 
of varieties by selection and breeding. Fertilizer and tillage experi- 
ments have been conducted, drainage and irrigation problems investi- 
gated, and metho<Js of harvesting and storage studied. 

Many of the crop introductions have been made by the United 
States Department of Agriculture, while their general use has been 



14 

accomplished largely through the cooperation of the stations. Thus 
Kafir corn has been found a most valuable drought-resistant forage 
and food plant in regions of the Southwest where maize is an uncer- 
tain crop, and the macaroni wheats are greatly extending the area 
of profitable wheat production in the semiarid regions. In the 
same wa}^ the adaptabilit}^ of different parts of the United States to 
the culture of beets for sugar has been definitely established. The 
introduction and increased culture of grasses and leguminous plants 
for forage and green manuring, especially in the Southern States 
(PL IV, fig. 2), promises to become a factor of far-reaching importance 
in the agricultural development now taking place in those States. 
The rape plant has been successfully introduced in a number of States 
as an adjunct to sheep husbandr}^, and alfalfa has been shown to be 
a useful and successful crop in man}'^ regions where it was not for- 
merly grown. The improvement of wheat by selection and cross 
breeding has resulted in the establishment of varieties of wheat of 
better milling qualities and increased yield. Similar experiments 
with other cereals, flax, sugar cane, sorghum, cotton, and grasses are 
in progress. Experiments for the increase of the protein and oil con- 
tent of maize are being conducted with promising results. 

The experiments with fertilizers have included tests of a large 
number of different forms of commercial fertilizers and farm manures 
for different crops, the kind of plants best adapted to green manuring 
and the methods of their management, the forms of fertilizers (e. g. , 
potash salts) best adapted to the production of high quality in the 
product, the application of fertilizers to hasten growth and prolong 
ripening, the rendering of fertilizing material (e. g., leather refuse 
and fish) available to plants, and the economic utilizTation of refuse 
materials (e. g., seaweed) for fertilizers. 

Tillage experiments with the farm crops have included deep and 
shallow cultivation, frequent cultivation, subsoiling, fall and spring 
plowing, summer fallowing, planting winter catch crops, turning 
under green crops. In this connection thick and thin seeding, plant- 
ing at different depths, use of light and heav}^ seeds and seeds from 
different parts of the fruit, distance experiments, intercultural experi- 
ments, and the growing of crops (especially tobacco) under shade have 
been tried. 

Irrigation problems in arid regions have been investigated with 
special reference to the amount of water required for various crops, 
the effects of applying water at different stages of growth, and the 
best methods of appl3dng water and of preventing losses from ditches. 
In semiarid and humid regions the cost and methods of securing water 
and the profits from its use have been studied, as well as methods of use. 

There have also been investigations in the harvesting of wheat, oats, 
and barley at different stages of growth and at different periods of 



U. S. Dept. of Agr., Office of Expf. Stations, 708. 



Plate V. 




Fig. 1.— Tennessee Station— Lettuce Under Glass. 




Fig. 2.— West VirginTa Station— Apparatus Used in Experiments in Preserving 
Milk Under Pressure. 



15 

ripening; curing of ha}' at different stages of development; the econ- 
omv of different methods of harvesting maize; the shredding of maize 
stalks, and the storage of maize as silage. Much valuable work has 
been done on the curing, fermenting, and storing of tobacco. Inves- 
tigations of harvesting sugar cane at different times, both before and 
after freezing, have given valuable results. 

In horticulture most attention has been given to testing the adapta- 
bilit}' of varieties to different regions. In addition to this there have 
been studies of the selection and breeding of horticultural plants and 
the methods of culture, grafting, and pruning. Considerable attention 
has been given to questions relating to the growing of horticultural 
plants under glass, includmg the construction of houses, heating, irri- 
gating, manuring, culture, etc. A leading feature of the horticultural 
work has been that with orchard fruits on a commercial scale. Valuable 
introductions of new and hardy fruits have been made. Native fruits 
have been studied and improved and wild species brought under culti- 
vation. The Japanese plums have become wideh^ distributed as far 
north as Michigan and are the most valuable fruit introduction of 
recent 3'ears. Native plums have been studied and nearl}" three- 
fourths of the present 200 named varieties brought into cultivation 
within the life of the experiment stations. Careful work has been 
done in the selection and cross breeding of native varieties of grapes. 
Superior varieties for certain localities have alread}" been obtained. 
Dewberries, juneberries, and sand cherries are other native fruits 
which have been brought under cultivation and made permanent 
features of our fruit resources. Among the important fruit introduc- 
tions may be noted the date palm, which is found to be well adapted 
to some localities in the Southwest. The introduction of the Japanese 
persimmon and the improvement of our native varieties b}" selection 
and grafting seem likely to result in placing this fruit among the per- 
manent orchard crops of certain Southern localities. Extensive inves- 
tigations of Russian fruits have been made. The uufruitfulness of 
man}' varieties of orchard fruits has been shown to be due to self- 
sterility. 

The winter forcing of vegetables has become a profitable commer- 
cial industry (PI. V, fig. 1). Combinations of forcing-house and field 
methods of culture of a number of American garden crops have been 
introduced. This has proved especially valuable in the culture of 
onions. The value of irrigation as a feature of truck gardening and 
fruit growing in humid regions, and of subirrigation in greenhouses 
with certain forcing crops, has been thoroughl}^ demonstrated. Fer- 
tilizer experiments with numerous horticultural crops have thrown 
much new light on the subject of intensive manuring. The utilization 
of fruits, more especially the unmerchantable fruits, in the making of 



16 

jelly, preserves, fruit sirups, and cider has been investigated and val- 
uable suggestions given to this industry. Some of the stations have 
given considerable attention to the beautif3dng of home and school 
grounds by the introduction of ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, etc., 
not previously used in their localities. 

The forestr}^ work of our stations has been principally confined to 
the testing of diflerent varieties of trees with reference to their adapt- 
abilit}" to particular regions and problems connected with the refor- 
esting of our treeless regions. 

In the physiolog}^ of man and the domestic animals the work of the 
stations has been largely along the line of nutrition. The most impor- 
tant piece of work in this line has been the devising of a special form 
of respiration calorimeter for experiments with men in which the 
Sforrs Experiment Station in Connecticut has cooperated. This 
calorimeter has now been adapted to investigations with domestic 
animals at the Penns^dvania Experiment Station. The experiments 
with the respiration calorimeter already made with men have brought 
strong evidence that the law of the conservation of matter and energy 
holds good in the animal bod}" and have added important data to our 
knowledge of other laws of nutrition. Other studies have had to 
do with the substituting value of different nutrients and the proper 
combination of nutrients in the diet. Many dietary studies have 
been made with men and animals, under different conditions and 
performing different amounts of work, in various regions of the 
United States. A number of stations have made digestion experi- 
ments with men and animals, and as a result the coefficients of digesti- 
bilit}' for a considerable number of American foods and feeding stuffs 
have been determined. Many metabolism experiments have been 
made with men and farm animals. In most of the experiments the 
balance of income and outgo of nitrogen has been determined; in a 
smaller number the balance of carbon or carbon and energ}" has also 
been determined, and in a few cases the balance of ash or certain ash 
constituents has also been studied. Very extended studies have been 
made of the composition of beef, mutton, poultry, and pork produced 
under different conditions. The effect of cooking on different foods 
and the losses during cooking have also received attention. Physio- 
logical studies of digestibility and digestive ferments and of the milk 
glands have been undertaken. Much time has been devoted to the 
elaboration of experimental methods, the testing of methods already 
known, and the devising of new methods. 

The work in zootechny (in the restricted sense of animal production) 
has principally consisted of feeding experiments with farm animals, in 
which various combinations of feeding stuff's have been tested with 
reference to maintenance, growth, or the production of meat or milk 
(PI. V, fig. 2). In this way the nutritive value of a large number of 



17 

feeding stuffs has been worked out, largely on a practical basis. Im- 
portant studies have been made on the nutritive value of crops of 
recent introduction or crops which have recently as-iumed importance, 
such as alfalfa, rape, and Kafir corn. Many feeding experiments have 
been made with silage made from a single crop cut at different stages 
of growth and from mixtures of two or more crops; also many studies 
of the feeding value of milling products and by-products, and studies 
to determine the cause of cotton-seed poisoning, the cost of producing 
meat or milk, and the proximate cost of rearing young animals. Man}^ 
studies have been made with poultry, including the effect of different 
rations on egg production, tests of incubators, and the breeding, feed- 
ing, and marketing of geese. 

Digestion experiments have been conducted with horses, cattle, sheep, 
goats, and pigs. Attempts have been made at several of the stations 
to formulate feeding standards more suitable for American conditions 
than the German standards commonly in use. Tests of breeds of 
different kinds of animals have also been made, sometimes on a rela- 
tivel}' large scale, and studies of types of animals best adapted to 
particular purposes have in some cases been made. The studies in 
rootechny have, to a considerable extent, been connected with the 
investigations in animal physiology. 

The stations have taken up under veterinary science the studies in 
bacteriology above referred to, and investigations regarding the causes, 
nature, and treatment of various diseases of domestic animals. The 
subjects to which most time and attention have been devoted include 
anthrax, Texas fever, hog cholera, swine plague, sheep scab, mange 
of cattle and horses, tetanus, milk fever, rabies, glanders, colic of 
horses, infectious abortion, actinomjxosis, foot-and-mouth disease, 
and tuberculosis; dehorning; spaying; effects of poisonous plants, 
including the effects of smuts, ergot, and mildews on fodder; and the 
relation of water supply to diseases. 

In agrotechn}^ (agricultural technology) the most important work of 
the stations has related to dairying. Besides the chemical and bacte- 
riological studies of milk and dairy products, referred to under the 
head of chemistr}^ and bacteriology, the stations have made nian}^ 
studies relating to the methods of manufacture of dair}" products. 

Under the head of dairy bacteriology the studies have included the 
extent and sources of infection of milk, means of avoiding infection 
by cleanly methods and by pasteurizing and sterilizing, the use of 
pure cultures for ripening cream in butter making, raid the nature 
and cause of the changes in the ripening of cheese. 

The business relations between the milk producer and creameries or 
cheese factories hav6 received attention. Various kinds of dairy and 
creamer}^ apparatus have been tested to a considerable extent, and in 
31243—04 2 



18 

some cases demonstrations have been made of the method of conduct- 
ing- a hygienic dairy and milk route. Nearly every step in the han- 
dling of milk and in the manufacture of butter and different kinds of 
cheese has been investigated. In this connection considerable work 
has been done in studying methods of investigation and devising 
special apparatus and appliances for such work. 

Other important investigations in agricultural technology have been 
those in sugar making; the pickling of olives; the manufacture of 
unfermented grape juice, wine, olive oil, cane sirups, fruit sirups, 
cider, and maple sugar; the evaporation of fruit and vegetables, and 
the preservation of fruit and milk under pressure. In these investi- 
gations the devising of new methods of manufacture and special 
apparatus and appliances has received large attention. 

The American stations have as j^et given comparativel}^ little atten- 
tion to problems in rural engineering, but are now undertaking more 
work along that line. Studies of the form and construction of barns, 
silos, and other farm buildings have been made, as well as of the con- 
struction and heating of greenhouses and the construction of cold- 
storage plants and cheese-curing rooms. Questions relating to 
methods of drainage, irrigation, road making, and the construction of 
dams, canals, ditches, and other irrigation works havQ been studied. 
The draft of farm vehicles, especiall}^ as related to the comparative 
merits of l)road and narrow tires, has been tested. A considerable 
number of practical tests have been made of implements and machin- 
er}' used on farms or in dairying, including windmills and engines for 
pumping and grinding. 

VERIFICATION AND DEMONSTRATION EXPERIMENTS. 

A considerable share of the work of American stations has thus far 
consisted of the verification of results obtained elsewhere and the dem- 
onstration of the practical usefulness of these results. This work has 
been partly carried on at the stations and partly in different localities, 
largely in cooperation with farmers. It has included a wide range of 
subjects along most of the lines in which the stations have attempted 
more original investigations, such as experiments with fertilizers, 
tests of methods of cultivation, and practical tests of different ffeld 
crops and horticultural plants, the adaptability of which the stations 
have determined on a small scale. 

Many of the experiments in the feeding of animals and in dairying 
have been made by the stations for the purpose of confirming the 
results obtained through previous investigations. Often the chief pur- 
pose of these investigations has been to convince farmers that the 
results which have been obtained elsewhere were equally applicable to 
their local requirements. In a similar wa}^ many investigations in 
chemistry, botany, entomology, and veterinar}^ science have been 



19 

repeated either for the purpose of verif \nng the correctness of the 
results previousl}^ obtained or of demonstrating their practical appli- 
cation. Thousands of such experiments are now annuall}' conducted 
in cooperation with farmers; and while it is clearly recog-nized that 
many of them are very imperfectly carried out, yet it is believed that 
they have been a ver}^ important element in the success of the stations. 
Without doubt there has thus far been considerable duplication of 
work b}- the stations; but when we consider the wide agricultural areas 
for which manj' of our individual stations work, the varjdng natural 
conditions in the different States, and the comparative unfamiliarity of 
our farmers with the results of agricultural investigations, it will be 
realized that whatever incidental losses there have been through unnec- 
essary duplication of work on the part of the stations have been more 
than overbalanced by the benefits which have accrued from a repeti- 
tion of investigations until their results have been verified under a 
variety of conditions and have become a part of the farm practice. 

STUDIES OF NATTJIIAL AGRICUL.TURAL CONDITIONS AND 

RESOURCES. 

Closely related with the demonstration experiments of the stations 
have been those studies which have had for their main object the gain- 
ing of definite information regarding the natural agricultural condi- 
tions and resources of the different States. While our stations were 
not established for the making of agricultural surveys or the collection 
of agricultural statistics yet in many cases, especially in the newer 
States and Territories, the absence of accurate information has made 
it necessary for the stations to do more or less work of this character 
as a preliminary to the scientific investigations and practical experi- 
ments which it is their real business to make. In this categor}" may 
be included the collection of general meteorological data, studies of 
geologic formations, soils, water supply for household use, for live 
stock, or for irrigation, botanical survevs, and studies of life zones 
and the suitability of varieties of crops to these zones. The largest 
enterprise of our stations which may be said to have been essentially 
a study of the natural agricultural conditions has been the determina- 
tion of the regions in which sugar beets ma}^ be grown with a suf- 
ficiently high peTcentage of sugar to make it probable that they might 
be utilized in sugar making, provided the economic conditions were 
favorable. This investigation was carried on by the stations very 
largel}' in cooperation with the United States Department of Agricul- 
ture and farmers. Thousands of experiments were made for several 
years, covering the entire countr}^ and in this wa}- the capabilities of 
the United States with reference to the growing of sugar beets were 
quite definitely established. • 



20 

INSPECTION AND CONTROL WORK. 

The experiment stations in 36 States and Territories are doing 
more or less work of inspection, either under special State laws 
or as a voluntary enterprise. The nature and amount of this serv- 
ice varies greatly in different States. Sometimes the station con- 
ducts a complete inspection and control, sometimes it makes the 
chemical or other examinations for some other organization which 
exercises the control, or it may simply make the examinations and 
publish the results for the information of the public, no system of 
control being provided by law. The fertilizer inspection was the first 
line of station work established in this country, is most thoroughly 
organized, and is most intimately connected with the other work of our 
stations. More recently inspection of dairy products and other foods 
for man has been undertaken in a number of States and the stations 
have been called upon in various wa^^s to promote this work. In 
some of the Eastern States, where concentrated feeding stuffs are 
largel}" used, laws for their inspection by the stations have been 
enacted within the past few years. Inspection for the prevention of 
diseases of animals and plants and the repression of injurious insects 
and weeds has been begun in a number of States. Dair}^ apparatus 
and Paris green are required to be inspected in a few States, and there 
has been considerable voluntary inspection of seeds by the stations in 
different parts of the country. 

The Hatch Act makes no provision for regular inspection work hy 
the stations. The stations supported exclusively by this fund have 
therefore undertaken such work only incidentally with a view of show- 
ing its usefulness. Wherever it has assumed importance and the 
necessit}" for its regular performance has been made apparent, the 
States have made provision for its maintenance. 

DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION. 

The Hatch Act requires that each station shall publish bulletins or 
reports of progress at least once in three months, and a full and 
detailed report of its operations, including a statement of receipts and 
expenditures, once a year. Most of the publications of the stations 
may therefore be divided into two general classes — annual reports and 
bulletins. 

The annual reports of the stations vary greatly as regards the char- 
acter of their contents, their size, and the number of copies printed. 
In a number of States the annual report is a large document containing 
detailed statements regarding the administration, finances, and inves- 
tigations of the station; in some States it is a brief document contain- 
ing onlv short statements regarding administrative matters, finances, 



21 

investigations, and publications, and in others it contains an adminis- 
trative report and all the bulletins issued b}' the station during the 
3^ear. In a number of States the annual report is printed at the 
expense of the State. The annual report may be sent out to the entire 
mailing list, or it ma}' have a very restricted distribution to educational 
institutions, experiment stations, libraries, oificials. and individuals 
known to be specially interested in the details of station administra- 
tion. The Hatch Act provides that this report shall he made primarily 
to the governor of the State or Territory in which the station is located, 
and that a copy shall be sent to each of the experiment stations, to the 
Secretary of Agriculture, and to the Secretary of the Treasury of the 
United States. v 

The bulletins of the stations are of different descriptions and can 
not be definitely separated into classes. All of the stations have, how- 
ever, a regular series of bulletins, usually numbered consecutively, 
which comprise the greatest part of their publications. These bulle- 
tins contain a great variety of information. Some of them consist 
wholly of compiled matter, some are popular accounts of station 
investigations, and others contain quite technical and elaborate descrip- 
tions of their investigations. Some stations have attempted to sepa- 
rate their technical and popular bulletins into different series, and in 
some cases new series have been begun after the station has been in 
operation a number of years. As a rule, however, the stations issue. 
their regular bulletins in a single series. Many of the stations 
annually issue more than the four bulletins required b}" the Hatch 
Act. The number of annual reports and bulletins published by the 
stations in 1903 was 371. The bulletins are sent out to mailing lists 
containing from 2.500 to 43,000 addresses, the aggregate number of 
addresses being about 621,000. The stations endeavor to send their 
bulletins to all applicants within their own States and to satisfy outside 
demands for them as far as their means will allow. This outside 
demand has, however, grown to be so large as alread}' to cause embar- 
rassment. Each station has a considerable number of foreign corre- 
spondents to whom the bulletins are regularly sent. 

In a number of the States the stations prepare press bulletins, river 
bulletins, postal-card bulletins, hints to farmers, etc., which are either 
resumes of the station work or contain information of more general 
character. In cases in which the station receives a large number of 
requests for information on any topic, it has been often found conven- 
ient to have answers distributed through the press or b}' means of 
emergency bulletins rather than by correspondence. 

At the New York State Station a special officer is employed to edit 
the publications of 'the station, and one of his duties is to prepare 
brief, popular bulletins based on the longer and more technical publi- 
cations of the station. These popular bulletins are sent to the mailing 



22 - 

list generally, which in that State numbers 42,000 addresses, while 
the larger publications are issued in more restricted editions. 

Some of the stations have from time to time issued charts and 
posters illustrating special features of their work. Some of these 
have been made up in the same manner as advertising posters, with 
illustrations and displa}" type. Such posters are placed in railroad 
depots, j)ost-offices, and other public places where they will attract 
the attention of farmers who are not already familiar with the work 
of the station. 

The attendance of station officers at farmers' institutes and other 
meetings of farmers is another means of disseminating the results of 
their investigations, and this method is especialh^ valuable in reaching 
farmers who do not read the station publications. 

The correspondence carried on by station officers is very large, 
aggregating hundreds of thousands of letters annually. A large part 
of these are replies to inquiries by farmers, which cover almost every 
topic related to the theory and practice of agriculture. 

A considerable number of stations make exhibits of their work at 
State and other agricultural fairs. 

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE WORK OF THE STATIONS. 

During the past fourteen years the expense of operating the experi- 
ment stations in the United States has amounted to $14,000,000, an 
average of $1,000,000 a 3'ear. This is equivalent to a tax of $1 on 
each $20,000 worth of farm property in the United States — not a very 
heavy burden, and 3^et sufficiently heavy to justifj" careful supervision 
of expenditures and an occasional inquiry into the value of results 
attained. 

While it is a well-known and generall}^ accepted fact that many of 
these results are of great economic importance, it is extremel}" difficult 
to estimate the cash value of them. In a general wa}", however, an 
idea can be given of the value of some of the more important and 
striking results. Thus the investigations of the stations have revolu- 
tionized and developed the dairy industry, and the total value of dairy 
products in 1899 amounted to $472,000,000. Closel}^ connected with 
the improvement of dairjdng have been the investigations on nutrition, 
which have widel}' changed the practice of feeding farm animals. One 
very important result of investigations along this line has been the 
demonstration of the feeding value of corn stover and other by-prod- 
ucts of corn, wheat, cotton, and other farm crops. It is estimated 
that the feeding value of corn stover is not less than $100,000,000 per 
annum and that the combined feeding and fertilizing value of cotton 
seed is $150,000,000. The stations have shown that cheese can he 
cured in cold storage with resulting improvement in the quality and a 



23 

vast saving- on the annual product valued at 1300,000,000, Similarly 
their experiments in the cold storage of fruits are giving results of 
great economic importance. They have also contributed greatly to 
the success of growing vegetables and flowers under glass. The com- 
mercial greenhouses in 1900 covered over 22,000 acres. 

The improvement of farm crops by breeding and selection and the 
introduction of new crops are items of great importance in estimating 
the success of the stations. It is estimated that the general use of 
improved strains of wheat developed by the stations would increase the 
total annual yield of this cereal over 50,000,000 bushels, and that in the 
same waj' the yield of oats might be increased 30,000,000 bushels. 
The introduction of Manshury barley by the Wisconsin Station has 
been worth millions of dollars to the farmers, and the Kafir corn 
brought in by the United States Department of Agriculture, but intro- 
duced to practical use by the stations in California, Kansas, and Okla- 
homa, was valued at over $5,000,000 in Kansas alone in 1899. Other 
valuable introductions made in the same way are sugar beets, estimated 
at $6,000,000 in 1901, and macaroni wheats, worth 14,400,000 in 1903. 
The stations have promoted the general use of alfalfa, the product in 
1899 amounting to over 5,000,000 tons. 

The investigations on fertilizers have not only served to protect 
farmers from fraud, but have led them cpiite generally to recognize 
the desirability of a discriminating use of fertilizers. It is estimated 
that if farmers generally Avould practice home mixing of fertilizers, as 
many of them have been taught to do in New Jersey and some other 
Eastern States, a saving of $13,500,000 per annum would result in 
this one item of farm expenditures. The work of the stations in com- 
bating the diseases and insect pests of plants and animals has been of 
inestimable value to the farmers. In many lines it has made all the 
difi^erence between success and failure. Without systematic use of 
insecticides and fungicides — largely worked out by the stations — com- 
mercial orcharding would be impossible and a source of income worth 
184,000,000 a year to American farmers would speedily disappear. 

The examples cited above are merely samples of what the stations 
have done for the American farmer. There are thousands of other 
results, less palpable, perhaps, but iust as far-reaching in their influ- 
ence. No account has been given of the educational influence of tlie 
stations, which is even more important than this other work. They 
have been a powerful aid in breaking down the popular prejudice 
against agricultural colleges and the whole scheme of agricultural 
education; have furnished the material for the formulation of a science 
of agriculture, and have done much to place agricultural courses on a 
par with other courses in work for advanced degrees. 

As regards the stations themselves, we may confidently assert that 
their past history gives great assurance of increasing strength and 



24 -^- 

efficienc}" in the future. While the_y have encountered man}" difficul- 
ties in their development, and there has necessaril}" been much of 
crudity in their work thus far, they have ever}'^ year secured a better 
equipment and more thorough!}" trained officers. With increasing 
resources they have been able to specialize their work more thoroughly 
and to increase its scope. They have succeeded in securing, to a 
remarkable extent, the confidence of the people for whose benefit they 
were primarilj- established, and have thus had no difficulty in obtain- 
ing financial support from Congress and the State legislatures. The 
people generally have come to regard the stations as permanent insti- 
tutions, and are convinced of the usefulness of their work. 



o 



